Harry A. Johns, Indian name means you go store look around and buy this and that. Clan is Tsisyu, born in Copper Center. When were you born? 11/15/1909, 79 years old today.
Father's name was Skookum Johns, how did he get the name? Father was a strong man, so they called him Skookum. Father was from past Taral. Do you know his parents? Grandfather was oldest man in Copper River. Don't remember my Dad's Mom. Mother was Susan McAllister. Mother was part Tlingit. My aunt was Katie Ewan and Mary Craig.
Mary Craig was married to Henry allen. Craig was white man who came up to prospect. His name was Charley Craig. Katie's husband was John Ewan, Chief Ewan's son.
Do you remember your grandparents on your Mother's side? No. Don't remember.
Where were you born and where you lived and where you moved to when you were young? How did people survive? I was born up the Klutina River about 12 miles. Parents were out hunting and on the way home I was born. When I was 10 year old I went to work in the store.
We used to go out about 20-30 miles to get moose. It was hard to get meat. Had a hard time living.
Hunting times stories and other things.
Where was your home at? by the old school, this side of old school. that is where I was raised. Copper Center village is what we know it today.
What did you do in the summer time? Used to wash dishes at Road house. Used to work daily. Did you ever fish in the summer time? Oh yeah, my Father was a fisher man. He fished all summer. We used to put up tents and move there for the summer. We fish up at 4 mile up the river. Across the river. We used a skiff to get across the river. We used the river like we use a car today. Skiffs were made out of spruce trees. Willow was used to tie things together. my Father used willows to tie things together.
What would you do in the fall? I didn't have a job in the winter so I would trap. Used to work in the store in the winter time.
What do you remember your Dad doing in the fall time? He trapped after hunting. We trapped in the winter right after people come back from trap line we fish, get the fish wheel ready and then fall time we hunt. all year long we were busy. We walk every where.
Who taught you? Nobody, I just watch what people do. that is how you learned you watch other people.
Do you think that non native people think different than Native people? I don't think so. They are not like us, they don't prepare foods the way we used to.
Do you think the lifestyle has changed? Oh yeah, it has changed, lotta things changed. We use cars and big rifles and all of that.
what caused the changes? Non natives come up here. When was there a big change or greater amount of non natives coming into the area? When Anchorage and Fairbanks became bigger towns and then the pipeline. What year was that? 1950's.
When the missionaries came into the area, I don't think that changed anything. The only people that changed it was the pipeline and more people coming here.
Did BIA change the lifestyle? No, I don't think so. White man education came along did that cause a change in our lifestyle?
Do you think it is important for the young people to learn the lifestyle? oh yeah, learn the lifestyle, traditions, how to hunt, trap and fish, learn the language. We want our young people to keep the traditional way of living.
Is subistence important to you? yes it is, really important. If you don't have fishing and hunting then you gotta buy groceries.
How do you use subsistence life now? I don't see much difference. Now we have jobs.
Do you think that our people will ever return to that lifestyle? It has to come from them we can't make them live it.
No underground caches were about 200 years or more. No caches on trap line.
Before there were any kind of churches in the area, how did our people pray and who did they pray to and who did they worship? They knew GOD and called HIM Nekel'taani. Something they believed in. Engii was what they used to follow GOD'S way. They had their own religion.
What was a land mark or Indians thought highly of the area? Between here and Palmer there is a mountain there, two womens left here to go to Knik country. They left here, by Sheep Creek, this one lady sit down and she turned to a mountain, she was packing baby.
. Language as given: aht